A common method for watering an area, such as a lawn, involves the use of a garden hose with a sprinkler. The sprinkler is used to distribute a uniform pattern of water to a certain area of the lawn. Examples of different types of sprinklers include an oscillating fan sprinkler, the spiraling fountain sprinkler and the turning-pulsating sprinkler. Typically, one end of the hose is attached to a water spigot and the other end of the hose is attached to the sprinkler. The sprinkler is then placed in a desired area to be watered. A user then turns on the water flow from the spigot by turning the knob. The water is forced through the hose and distributed by the sprinkler to the desired area such that areas that are distant from the water spigot may be watered. By regulating the flow rate from the spigot, the user may also alter the speed of the sprinkler and the pattern it follows in watering the area. After the sprinkler is set up in the desired location, the user is free to attend to other tasks while the area is watered.
When full water pressure is available to the sprinkler, the sprinkler provides the maximum area of coverage based on its' design. If the user wishes to adjust the water pressure to change the area of coverage of the sprinkler, the user may spend a great amount of time adjusting the sprinkler for a desired smaller area. This adjustment requires walking to the water spigot, making a flow rate adjustment and walking back to the sprinkler to observe the new water coverage area. This is especially inconvenient when the sprinkler is out of eyesight from the water spigot.
It is apparent therefore that there is a need for a flow-regulating device which allows flow rate adjustment without the inconvenience of walking back and forth to the water spigot.